The Silver Museum is what remains in Florence of the once-vast Tesoro dei Medici, the Medici Grand Dukes' Treasury of decorative arts and precious objects (only a few of which, depsite the name of the collection, are made of silver).
To some, it seems like miles of the most extravagant and often hideous objets d'art and housewares the Medici and Lorraines could put their hands on.
If this collection proves anything, it's that—as the Medici Grand Dukes became richer and more powerful—their taste declined proportionally. However, it does have kitsch value (as in "I cannot believe the decorative lengths to which one could go in creating a simple spoon").
It is housed in what was, in the 17th century, the "summer palace" portion of the Pitti. even if you are not interested in the precious-stone vases, incised and cast medallions and cameos, and elaborately inlaid tabletop dressers, the frescoes decorating the rooms themselves are pretty spectacular, in an overwrought baroque way.
One interesting sub-collection here is of objects acquired by Grand Duke Ferdinando III during his exile in Austria. Napoléon's French army had invaded Tuscany in 1799 (a bit rude, since Ferdinand II had the distinction of being the first European monarch to recognize the new French State back in 1792), and the Grand Duke spent the next 15 years "hiding out" with his brother, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. During that time he was made, successively, the Duke of Salzburg and Grand Duke of Würzburg, taking over what had preivously been wealthy princely bishorpics.
As such, he inherited the treasuries of those Prince-Bishops, and he carted the precious objects back to Florence when he returned in 1814. Among the odd treasures was a series of 14C and 15C drinking cups, each once belonging to a different bishop, made variously of such outlandish materials as ostrich eggs, coconuts, buffalo horns, conch shells, and wood delicately carved to resmeble shells, all them them inlaid and chased with elaborate gilded silver frames and mounts.
These were magic cups, believed to have the power to render poisons inert—particalry the one carved from finely veined wood said to have come from the olive trees in the garden of Gethesmane in Jersualem.
» On to the Galleria del Costume
Piazza Pitti (cross the Ponte Vecchio and follow Via Guicciardini; you can't miss it)
tel. +39-055-238-8614
www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Tickets: Select Italy
Galleria Palatina, Appartamenti Reali, and Galleria d'Arte Moderna:
Tues–Sun 8:15am–6:50pm
Galleria del Costume, Museo degli Argenti, Boboli Gardens, and Museo delle Porcellane:*
Tues–Sun as follows:
Jun-Aug 8:15am–6:50pm (Boboli Gdns: to 7:30pm)
Apr-May, Sept-Oct 8:15am–6:30pm
[portions of Oct and Mar after/before switches daylight savings time: 8:15am–5:30pm]
Nov-Feb 8:15am–4:30pm
* Museo delle Porcellane closes 15 min. earlier
Museo delle Carrozze: Currently closed
(Pitti Palace is free the first Sunday of each month)
Tickets: Select Italy
Firenze Card: Yes
Bus: C3, D
Hop-on/hop-off: Pitti (A)
Planning your day: Budget at least two hours for a cursory visit of just the Galleria Palatina and Appartamenti Reali.
If you plan to venture into
the Boboli Gardens, give it another hour.
If you have only passing interest in the other museums, each will take about 20 minutes.
Note that the last entry for every museum or part of the Pitti complex is 1 hour before closing.
The major parts of the Pitti Palace complex (Galleria Palatina, Apartamenti Reali, Boboli Gardens, and Porcelain Museum) are covered by the Firenze Card—free admission, no waiting in line. » more
If all you're into is the art, you can get a ticket covering just the Galleria Palatina and Modern Art Gallery for €8.50.
If, however, you'd like to wander the rest of the collections (and gardens) as well, don't spend another €6 or €7 on the separate collective ticket. Instead, get the "biglietto cumulativo," an all-access pass for €11.50 that lets you into all the Pitti galleries, apartments, and gardens for three days.
Or just use the Firenze Card.
Take a guided tour of Palazzo Pitti with one of our partners:
Pitti Palace tours
Boboli Gardens toursWarning: The Pitti Palace seems to revel in closing a handful of its (lesser) museums for years at a time—lately, it seems to be the collection of fancy carriages in the Museo dell Carozze.
Just which ones will be closed at any given time and for how long works on some mysterious schedule I have yet to discern. Check before visiting if missing, say, the costume gallery or the porcelain museum will spoil your vacation.
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Piazza Pitti (cross the Ponte Vecchio and follow Via Guicciardini; you can't miss it)
tel. +39-055-238-8614
www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Tickets: Select Italy
Galleria Palatina, Appartamenti Rrali, and Galleria d'Arte Moderna:
Tues–Sun 8:15am–6:50pm
Galleria del Costume, Museo degli Argenti, Boboli Gardens, and Museo delle Porcellane:*
Tues–Sun as follows:
Jun-Aug 8:15am–6:50pm (Boboli Gdns: to 7:30pm)
Apr-May, Sept-Oct 8:15am–6:30pm
[portions of Oct and Mar after/before switches daylight savings time: 8:15am–5:30pm]
Nov-Feb 8:15am–4:30pm
* Museo delle Porcellane closes 15 min. earlier
Museo delle Carrozze: Currently closed
(Pitti Palace is free the first Sunday of each month)
Tickets: Select Italy
Firenze Card: Yes
Bus: C3, D
Hop-on/hop-off: Pitti (A)
This article was written by Reid Bramblett and was last updated in April 2015.
All information was accurate at the time.
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